AROUND THE WORLD

Thousands protest TV station's closing

June 04, 2007

CARACAS — Thousands of government opponents waving Venezuelan flags marched through the capital on Sunday to protest a decision by President Hugo Chavez to pull the plug on an opposition-aligned TV station.

Demonstrators made their way to the offices of the People's Defender, a government official in charge of monitoring human rights, and presented a document saying that Chavez is restricting freedom of expression by not renewing Radio Caracas Television's broadcast license.

In Panama, Venezuela's ambassador to the Organization of American States, Jorge Valero, defended the government's decision, saying the station had "infringed" on democratic principles.